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APPROVEMENT CHARACTER ANALYSIS OF ISABELLA SWAN IN STEPHENIE MEYER’S TWILIGHT A Thesis Submitted to Letters and Humanities faculty In Partial of Requirements for Strata-1 Degree Akhmad Yunus NIM. 102026024513 Approved by: Elve Oktafiyani, M. Hum. NIP.150 317 725 ENGLISH LETTERS DEPARTMENT ADAB AND HUMANITIES FACULTY SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY JAKARTA 2009 1 2 ABSTRACT Akhmad Yunus, Character Analysis of Isabella Swan in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. Thesis. Jakarta: English Letters Department, Letters and Humanities Faculty. Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, May 2009. The research concerns with one of intrinsic elements, namely character. The writer analyzes the characteristics of the main character in Stephanie Meyer’s novel Twilight, Isabella Swan. The data are obtained by a comprehensive reading. The compiled data area analyzed with descriptive qualitative analysis method. The result of this research shows that the main character Isabella Swan is depicted physically and psychologically. Her physical characteristics are beautiful with brown hairs and eyes, and a heart shaped face. Psychologically she is self control, curious, honest, brave, introvert, and sometimes she lies. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. I would like to say thanks to Allah SWT who has given the writer power to finish this term thesis. Peace be upon our great Prophet Muhammad SAW, his family, companions, and all followers in the world. The enormous thanks I dedicate to my beloved mother, Siti Ropiah, my sister Eli Sufiati, my brother Tanuri, Yusuf Attariq, Muhammad Daud, who support and give the writer spirit on facing this task. Thank very much goes to Mrs. Elve Oktafiyani, M.Hum for the advices and correcting my work. Hardly possible do I write this thesis without her guidance and help. I also say thanks to the dean of Adab and Humanities Faculty Mr. Dr. Abdul Chair, MA, the head of English Letters Department Mr. Dr Muhammad Farkhan, M.Pd, the secretary of English Letters Department Mr. Asep Saefuddin M.Pd, and Academic Staffs who help me academically. The last but not least, for all my friends in BSI such as Dhuha, Rosyid Danco, Zakiyah, Andri Jambul, Nursyal, Agus, and many others whom I cannot mention them, I say thank for giving me supports and helps and providing me time to share knowledge and joyfulness during the time I studied and did this work. I realize that many mistakes spread in this thesis. So, I need suggestion from the readers in order that I am able to do better on my future works. However, I still look forward to giving “something” useful to you as devotee of literary works, especially in character analysis. 4 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION A. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Fiction is a form of literature that is written based on imagination or taken from a true story. Fiction has been existed hundred years ago. The Greeks, for example, had bequeathed myths and legends which belong to kinds of fiction besides novel, short story, poetry and drama. Now day, novel as one of the fiction works attracts readers’ attention rather than the other fiction works.1 Novel itself is defined by Ralph and Stanton as a prose fiction of considerable length showing characters in action, and capable of greater complexity in both character and plot than the sort story; moreover, they said that novel is a book length piece of imaginative fiction.2 To study novel profoundly, people should know some aspects of the novel such as theme, plot, characterization, point of view, style, tone, language, setting, and character. These are the intrinsic elements that are very central in the novel to describe story and make the story alive. In the research, the writer takes one of those intrinsic elements, namely character that will be analyzed. Character is a fictional representation of a person. A role of a character in story is totally absolute. Thus, a story could not be called as a story without any characters. The presence of characters makes a story completely become clear. Main character, according to Gill, is figures who hold an important role, dominant and high intensity in each conflict that builds a story, and they will also 1 Dhumel, A.P. literature form and function. (New Jersey : Prentice-Hall, Inc, 1965), p.440 2 Ralph H. Singleton and Stanton Millet, An Introduction to Literature (The World Publishing Company 1996), p. 1194. 5 usually be complex and fully developed.3 The main character who will be analyzed in the novel is Isabella Swan, because she is the dominant character who makes the story become interesting, attractive, and very influential on the plot and also bring many influences to its readers. Meyer began the story when Isabella Swan moves from Phoenix, Arizona, to Forks, Washington, to allow her mother, Renee, to travel with her new husband, Phil, a minor league baseball player. After moving to Forks, Bella found herself involuntarily drawn to a mysterious, handsome boy, Edward Cullen, who turned out to be a vampire who drank animal blood as opposed to human blood. They fell passionately in love, and had to fight off a vampire from another coven who was drawn to drink Bella’s blood. Bella escaped to Phoenix, Arizona, where she was tricked into confronting James, the sadistic vampire who wished to kill her. She was mortally wounded, but Edward rescued her, and they returned to Forks. From that synopsis, it can be inferred that Isabella Swan must have experienced many sensations of beat. Meyer must maintain her with a lot of characteristics that will be very appealing to be studied. These characteristics are going to be analyzed by applying character analysis theory. B. Focus of the Study In writing this paper, the writer would like to limit the discussion only on the characteristics of Isabella Swan in the Stephanie Meyer’s novel Twilight. The research will employ theory of character analysis proposed by Diyanni, Gill and Vogler. 3 Richard Gill, Mastering English Literature, (London: Macmilan Press ltd. 1995), p. 129. 6 C. Research Question Based on the background and focus of the study, the research question in intrinsic elements in Twilight is what are the characteristics of Isabella Swan in Twilight? D. Significance of the Study The result of this research is expected to give some deep information in recognizing Twilight, especially the character of Isabella Swan. The writer also hopes that this research will enrich the literary studies principally in understanding novel. E. Research Methodology 1. Objective of the Study This research aims to know some special characteristics of Isabella Swan in novel Twilight. 2. Method of the Study This research uses the qualitative method with a descriptive analysis explanation. It describes and analyzes the main character of Stephanie Meyer’s novel Twilight, that is Isabella. 7 3. Technique of Data Analysis In this research, the writer looks forward the characteristics of Isabella Swan portrayed by Meyer in Twilight. Then, he tries to explain those characteristics. 4. Unit Analysis The study is conducted by analyzing a novel entitled Twilight written by Stephanie Meyer in 2005. This is a New York Time bestseller novel in that year. 5. Research Instrument The instrument of the research is the researcher himself. He reads the novel vigilantly and signs the passages that will be used as data of the research. 6. Time and Venue This research was done from February until the late of June 2009 in State Islamic University Jakarta. 8 CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Virginia Wolf as quoted by Tarigan states that novel as a kind of fiction is an exploration or a chronicle life which is contemplated and described in a particular form, influence, bond, destruction, and goal.4 Compared to other literary works, novel is the most popular one that develops in term of quantity in great speed because it is caused by its none of rules and bond to write a novel. The study of intrinsic elements of fiction including novel is always more appealing than the study of its extrinsic. Its range and size of the study is restricted around what is related with the configuration of fiction, the study can be widened into `the interdisciplinary one which is related with something outside. Brooks et. al. classified intrinsic elements into two perspectives: first is the perspective of what fiction is, they are suspense, plot, unity, logic, interpretation, belief, character, setting, atmosphere, and the total experience which fiction gives,. Second is the perspective of how fiction is made, they are selectivity, focus. point of view, style, exposition, movement, and conflict.5 a. Definition of Character There are many definitions of character available, here the writer lists only the most important and essential related to the study as below: 4 Henry Guntur Tarigan, 1993. Prinsip-Prinsip Dasar Sastra, Bandung: Angkasa, p. 164 5 Cleanth Brooks et. al. 1952. an Approach to Literature, New York: Appletion-Century Croft. Inc p. 9-28 9 1. a character is an imaginary person that lives in a literary work. Literary character may be major or minor, static or dynamic.6 2. a character is some one in literary work who has some sort identity (it need not be a strong on), an identity which is made up by appearance, conversation, action, name, and possibly thoughts going in the head.7 3. a character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. More accurately, a fictional character is the person of conscious entity we imagine to exist within the world of such work.8 It can be concluded from some definition above, that a character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that exists in a literary work.

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